1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a system to flush an intravascular assembly, and more particularly, to flush a flushable guidewire hub.
2. Background
Intravascular devices such as catheter assemblies are generally used for passing fluids between a device such as a syringe or a drip to or from body lumens such as veins or arteries, or other internal target sites. Such an assembly usually includes a hub, and a catheter tube. The tube is typically secured to the hub by means of an eyelet ring that is press fit within the nose of the hub. This hub and tube assembly is then mounted over an introducer needle comprising a sharp needle attached to a plastic hub. The sharp tip of the needle, protruding from the catheter tip, is used for piercing a body lumen so that access may be gained into the body lumen by the needle and subsequently the catheter. Once the catheter and the needle are located within the body lumen, the introducer needle is removed and discarded while the catheter tube remains in the body lumen. A syringe or a tube of a drip is then attached to the hub so that fluids may be passed through the hub and the catheter from the drip or the syringe to the body lumen. The hub is typically made of materials that provide sufficient rigidity thereto and the catheter tube is usually made of a material which is flexible.
Catheters are used in a variety of applications to communicate fluid with the body lumen of a patient. Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are one example of a catheter that are generally used for long-term vascular access. PICCs are typically inserted into a patient""s arm and fed through a body lumen to a distal location, such as to a location near the central vena cava. To traverse this distance, a guidewire is often used in the catheter to route the catheter. Once located, the guidewire is removed, typically through a guidewire hub. Healthcare workers occasionally encounter resistance to catheter advancement during initial placement. In many cases, infusing a fluid through the catheter will decrease the resistance encountered and result in the successful advancement of the catheter. Conventional hubs generally have an aperture for the guidewire and for fluid to flow from a syringe through a flushable guidewire hub into a needle. The guidewire handle, however, is typically a solid piece that does not allow a syringe to be attached to the guidewire handle in order to infuse fluid therethrough. One disadvantage to this guidewire handle is that fluid does not flow as efficiently as may be necessary. It is therefore desirable to have a system that addresses this disadvantage associated with a flushable system.
The invention relates to an intravascular assembly that includes a flushable guidewire device. In one embodiment, the flushable guidewire device includes a hub having a substantially first cylindrical portion and a substantially second cylindrical portion. A first aperture and a second aperture are located in the first cylindrical portion and the second cylindrical portion. The first aperture is configured to receive a guidewire. The second aperture is configured to allow fluid to flow through the first and second cylindrical portions. Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description that follows below.